Colleton County Sheriff’s Office responds to shooting on Ford Lane

On August 5, 2018, at approximately 12:21.53 AM, Deputies from the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office and personnel from Colleton County Fire Rescue were dispatched to 365 Ford Lane, in the Ritter community of Colleton County. Several 911 calls were received in reference to a shooting incident and one male victim was allegedly lying on the ground suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

At 12:32 AM, the first Deputy arrived on scene. The victim lying on the ground, later identified as Benjamin Hampleton, was determined to be deceased by Paramedics. At 12:36 AM, Colleton Medical Center advised that a second gunshot victim had arrived at the hospital by way of personal vehicle.

As the investigation began to unfold, Detectives learned that a large number of people had been attending a party at the incident location. In fact, two hours prior, a Deputy had responded to the area in reference to a large crowd gathering for an illegal street race. The responding Deputy described a crowd of approximately 200 people that retreated to the address of 365 Ford Lane.

Statement from Sheriff Strickland:
“Our investigators are very busy and actively pursuing leads and appreciate all community cooperation. We are in this county together and if we work together, crimes like these can be quickly solved and our communities can be a safer place to live, work, and play.
Let’s work courageously together!
Please, contact us today if you have any information about this or any other case we are working on.
843-549-2211 or send us a message” – Sheriff R.A. Strickland